Lot 2671 Western Ukraine

First Day Cover of the Kolomea Issue, 1918 (Dec 12): "Ukr. N. R. 10" sot. on 6 h. in a horizontal pair from pos. 6+7 of 25, each stamp tied by bilingual "KOLOMYIA 1 / KOLOMEA 1" datestamp, on cover directed to Ivan Cherniavsky at the district court in Kolomiya, a most exceptional usage of this adhesive with a minute print run of 452 examples only, on the first day of usage a bijou for a high-end collection of Western Ukraine, signed Bulat. Note: After the Polish seizure of Lviv in November 1918, the Authorities of the Western Ukrainian National Republic were evacuated further east, first to Ternopil, then to Stanyslaviv. The main post office in the Pokutia region in Kolomyia lost contact with central authorities and run out of stamps. On a conference on December 5, 1918 the District Commandant, Capt. Prymak, the Postmaster Ivasiuk , and Dr. Ivan Cherniavsky, the Chairman of the District Court in Kolomyia and a well-known philatelist decided to overprint local stocks of Austrian stamps. These Kolomea overprints were done on December 10 by the printing shop of Wilhelm Brauner and on December 12, they came into postal use. What a swift organisation. Provenance: Collections Ivan Cherniavsky and Georg von Steiden